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Star Wars Legends: Novels
Star Wars: A New Hope: The Life of Luke Skywalker (Disney Junior Novel
Hidden away at birth, he would believe himself an orphan. Watched over by a mysterious hermit, he would discover incredible abilities. And by finding hope where others found only evil, he would restore balance to the galaxy. This is the legendary story of Luke Skywalker, from his childhood on Tatooine to his fierce battle with his toughest enemy -- himself.
227 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2009
135 people are currently reading
610 people want to read
About the author
Ryder Windham
277 books169 followersRyder Windham is an American sci-fi author who has written over sixty Star Wars books, including novels, comics, reference books, and so on. He has also written junior novelizations for Indiana Jones movies. Since 1993, he has been working on Star Wars projects either by himself or with other authors. His reference book Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide had been on the New York Times Best Seller list for three weeks in 2005. Although he has written lots of books, accepted interviews, and appeared at several fan-conventions, little is known about his personal life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
April 1, 2017
Unlike some of the recent Star Wars juvenile literature, this one is mostly new content instead of a retread of the original film trilogy...and is all the better for it. Fans of the title character should definitely check this one out.
October 31, 2025
3,5 stars i love it
May 22, 2020
5 🌟
This book tells the life of Luke Skywalker from his time on Tatooine growing up with his aunt and uncle as a moisture farmer to his time as a member of the Rebel Alliance and a Jedi.
This book tells the life of Luke Skywalker from his time on Tatooine growing up with his aunt and uncle as a moisture farmer to his time as a member of the Rebel Alliance and a Jedi.
April 22, 2011
I LOVE hearing about his early years before he ran off with Obi-Wan. Big Luke Skywalker fangirl so reading this is just amazing!
March 13, 2025
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A review by you!
Star Wars: A New Hope: The Life of Luke Skywalker by Ryder Windham
adventurous hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I'm not sure what I thought about this book...when I picked it up. Obviously, it is the life of Luke Skywalker...which has things that we know are part of his life, and then mixed with new portions that we've never known.
The old/repeated things were good, but the new things we've been given were JUST okay.
Some may have loved it, and others may have hated it, and I'm smack in the middle. It was okay. Nothing blew me out of the water, but there were science fictiony things, that could've been part of Star Trek, as well as Star Wars. It was just generic...which didn't hit for me.
Okay, now on to the Han Solo Trilogy.
Open main menu
A review by you!
Star Wars: A New Hope: The Life of Luke Skywalker by Ryder Windham
adventurous hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I'm not sure what I thought about this book...when I picked it up. Obviously, it is the life of Luke Skywalker...which has things that we know are part of his life, and then mixed with new portions that we've never known.
The old/repeated things were good, but the new things we've been given were JUST okay.
Some may have loved it, and others may have hated it, and I'm smack in the middle. It was okay. Nothing blew me out of the water, but there were science fictiony things, that could've been part of Star Trek, as well as Star Wars. It was just generic...which didn't hit for me.
Okay, now on to the Han Solo Trilogy.
May 30, 2020
I had a ton of fun reading this but some bits were meh enough to warrant the three stars. Good backstory for Luke and very neat trip to Tatooine, both literal and down the memory lane. I do recommend it, it’s very short and sweet and angsty.
March 1, 2018
Luke Skywalker is one of my favorite Jedi and reading about this life made me like him even more 😊
January 13, 2017
The reason I wanted to read this book because it is about Star Wars, and I am a big fan of the Star Wars franchise. At first I didn’t want to read it because I thought that it was a book for younger ages and maybe a bit cheesy and maybe not fully related to the movies. My expectations were way off the book wasn’t cheesy at all and it was very interesting and I would definitely recommend this book to people who like Star Wars because this book relates to the movies in a lot of different ways and in a lot of different aspects.
Even though I thought that the book was awesome, there were a couple parts in the book that I had a little problem with. The problem wasn’t big at all, it was just that sometimes it didn’t really seem like when some of the characters like Luke Skywalker would talk, it didn’t seem like the characters would say what they had said. It didn’t bother me that much because all the other times when the characters would speak it sounded like they would say it on the movies as well and that’s what made it real.
Even though that sometimes when some characters would talk it wouldn’t have sounded like they would have said that I really enjoyed this book. The reasons why I thought this book was great is because even in the book it still talks about the movie franchise of Star Wars and it still shows that Luke Skywalker enjoys going on quests and is one of the main leaders of the rebellion. I also enjoyed this book a lot because it talked about Luke Skywalker’s life before he was a jedi and what his life was like on Tatooine which is basically a desert planet, and his life after his movie franchise.
Some other reasons why I loved this book is that it brought new characters into the book and tied the book into the movie franchise. It related to the movies because it talked about battles in the book that happened in the movies and what happened before and after them. I also loved this book because it had all the main characters in the book that were in the movie franchise and they talked a little bit of each of them. I liked it when Luke Skywalker found out information about his dad’s life which was Anakin Skywalker A.K.A Darth Vader before he became a jedi and what he was like before he became Darth Vader who was on the Dark Side, and when Luke found out who his father was before he was consumed by the Dark Side, in a way it was heartwarming. I also loved that the book portrayed some of the characters like they were in the movies like Luke Skywalker because he was kind of cocky like he was in the movies. In general I loved this book and I was glad I read it because if you are a fan of Star Wars and want to read about Luke Skywalker’s life before and after the movies then I would definitely recommend this book.
Even though I thought that the book was awesome, there were a couple parts in the book that I had a little problem with. The problem wasn’t big at all, it was just that sometimes it didn’t really seem like when some of the characters like Luke Skywalker would talk, it didn’t seem like the characters would say what they had said. It didn’t bother me that much because all the other times when the characters would speak it sounded like they would say it on the movies as well and that’s what made it real.
Even though that sometimes when some characters would talk it wouldn’t have sounded like they would have said that I really enjoyed this book. The reasons why I thought this book was great is because even in the book it still talks about the movie franchise of Star Wars and it still shows that Luke Skywalker enjoys going on quests and is one of the main leaders of the rebellion. I also enjoyed this book a lot because it talked about Luke Skywalker’s life before he was a jedi and what his life was like on Tatooine which is basically a desert planet, and his life after his movie franchise.
Some other reasons why I loved this book is that it brought new characters into the book and tied the book into the movie franchise. It related to the movies because it talked about battles in the book that happened in the movies and what happened before and after them. I also loved this book because it had all the main characters in the book that were in the movie franchise and they talked a little bit of each of them. I liked it when Luke Skywalker found out information about his dad’s life which was Anakin Skywalker A.K.A Darth Vader before he became a jedi and what he was like before he became Darth Vader who was on the Dark Side, and when Luke found out who his father was before he was consumed by the Dark Side, in a way it was heartwarming. I also loved that the book portrayed some of the characters like they were in the movies like Luke Skywalker because he was kind of cocky like he was in the movies. In general I loved this book and I was glad I read it because if you are a fan of Star Wars and want to read about Luke Skywalker’s life before and after the movies then I would definitely recommend this book.
August 29, 2018
This is on the list of Legends books, although according to the author, he basically combined aspects of some deleted scenes from A New Hope, a couple of unpublished comics, and a couple of side stories from some novels, so it's kind of a compilation of things, but it was still interesting.
I really enjoyed reading a bit about Luke's growig-up years. It's nice to see him exploring his curiosity about his father, both before and after knowing the truth, and getting to know a little of his own ancestry and family legacy, which in some ways is a bit lacking in the films. I like the idea that he gets to learn about Shmi and what happened to the Tuskin Raiders and that his father was a podracer as a child, etc. It would be interesting to see him showing similar interest in his mother's background, but maybe that's explored more in other stories.
It's definitely a YA style story, a little more simple, but fills in some interesting details. The bits with the mid witch were rather blah, but the rest of it wasn't bad. It even had a couple of interesting quotes:
"He suddenly found himself wondering which graveyard was more miserable: the one where the butchered remains of the dead had been left exposed for all to see? or the one where the buried were already all but forgotten?"
"...[T]he way I see it, knowing who your father was isn't nearly as important as knowing who you are."
3.5/5
I really enjoyed reading a bit about Luke's growig-up years. It's nice to see him exploring his curiosity about his father, both before and after knowing the truth, and getting to know a little of his own ancestry and family legacy, which in some ways is a bit lacking in the films. I like the idea that he gets to learn about Shmi and what happened to the Tuskin Raiders and that his father was a podracer as a child, etc. It would be interesting to see him showing similar interest in his mother's background, but maybe that's explored more in other stories.
It's definitely a YA style story, a little more simple, but fills in some interesting details. The bits with the mid witch were rather blah, but the rest of it wasn't bad. It even had a couple of interesting quotes:
"He suddenly found himself wondering which graveyard was more miserable: the one where the butchered remains of the dead had been left exposed for all to see? or the one where the buried were already all but forgotten?"
"...[T]he way I see it, knowing who your father was isn't nearly as important as knowing who you are."
3.5/5
September 27, 2024
This book was very okay.
Beginning with the positives this book was very easy to read. At times the book is extremely captivating and can really hook you in. This is especially the case from chapter 9 onward. If you are a Star Wars fan, it is nice to get some extra content especially surrounding Luke Skywalker.
That being said, sometimes the language is almost ‘too easy’ that at some points it does feel that anyone could have written this. The language is not very descriptive and does not paint an accurate or vivid picture for the reader. The first part of the book I found boring as most of the important plot points are not mentioned since they happen in the movies. That makes the transitions and stories seem very odd, episodic, and almost irrelevant. As the book jumps around, it was difficult to pinpoint what time frame the events were happening in.
Overall the book comes out to be just okay. It is excellent in parts and not so great in others. If you are a Star Wars fan, I think you would really like it to get some more Luke content. As someone who is just a casual reader, you will probably have a terrible time with it.
The brief summary: this feels very similar to a Disney+ show. A fun revisit to characters but is choppy at times and is not necessarily a story that needed to happen.
Beginning with the positives this book was very easy to read. At times the book is extremely captivating and can really hook you in. This is especially the case from chapter 9 onward. If you are a Star Wars fan, it is nice to get some extra content especially surrounding Luke Skywalker.
That being said, sometimes the language is almost ‘too easy’ that at some points it does feel that anyone could have written this. The language is not very descriptive and does not paint an accurate or vivid picture for the reader. The first part of the book I found boring as most of the important plot points are not mentioned since they happen in the movies. That makes the transitions and stories seem very odd, episodic, and almost irrelevant. As the book jumps around, it was difficult to pinpoint what time frame the events were happening in.
Overall the book comes out to be just okay. It is excellent in parts and not so great in others. If you are a Star Wars fan, I think you would really like it to get some more Luke content. As someone who is just a casual reader, you will probably have a terrible time with it.
The brief summary: this feels very similar to a Disney+ show. A fun revisit to characters but is choppy at times and is not necessarily a story that needed to happen.
December 29, 2017
A New Hope: The Life of Luke Skywalker (Star Wars) is a good book. It's about Luke trying to find out more about his father. As he does, he thinks back to many events we hadn't seen in the original trilogy of movies. These events happen before or between these movies. They show his life on Tatooine and many other adventures. The biggest villain of the story is S'ybll. S'ybll is a mind witch. That means she can read minds, create illusions, and move objects with her mind. With a basic understanding of Star Wars, you should find this book enjoyable. It's 205 pages, which is short for a Star Wars book. If you want to start reading longer Star Wars books, this is a good way to prepare. Once I finished, I started reading Star Wars The Choices of One, which is nearly double the pages. I am still reading it, and will review it too. I think reading this one first was good preparation. That's not all it's good for. The book has constant action throughout most of it. The many different stories give you good places to stop and keep it interesting. I really enjoyed this book, and I hope you will too.
September 26, 2023
I was kind of surprised by this one. I was honestly expecting another retelling of the original trilogy, given the format of the Vader and Kenobi books by this author. But there was really only one brief snippet, and it’s the “I am your father moment.” Although, this does incorporate the deleted scenes from the original Star Wars. Luke’s life on Tatooine is fleshed out pretty decently, and he even gets to learn about his grandmother. You see how overprotective Owen is as a result of the Tusken Raiders, and how he’d rather Luke carry a rifle with him if he wanders. This book also incorporates stuff from the old comic strips, though I can’t say these are the best twists. Leia understandably doesn’t want to think of Anakin as her father, as this is a mere few months after Return of the Jedi. With Luke learning about his father from the likes of TPM characters, I’d say this makes for a book read prior to getting into Tatooine Ghost if you’re a first timer. It’s in that book that Leia chooses to learn more about who Anakin was and gets some sense of closure.
February 9, 2022
aside from some egregious tusken politics (as is common for pretty much most star wars media anyways, i just really like the tuskens 😭), this was a really good read!
luke skywalker is really such a fun character, he's weird and super petty and like... just a mid-twenties Weird Guy who's really nice and does want to do the right thing, but also has a mean sarcasm streak and absolutely could turn you inside out with his mind if he wanted to. he just doesn't because he knows the best way to torture you is by ruining your life instead of just killing you. unless you accidentally run into his lightsaber, which happens a lot more than is normal for a guy who calls himself a jedi. love you luke. weird, weird guy.
anyways, a fun book about star wars and luke skywalker!
luke skywalker is really such a fun character, he's weird and super petty and like... just a mid-twenties Weird Guy who's really nice and does want to do the right thing, but also has a mean sarcasm streak and absolutely could turn you inside out with his mind if he wanted to. he just doesn't because he knows the best way to torture you is by ruining your life instead of just killing you. unless you accidentally run into his lightsaber, which happens a lot more than is normal for a guy who calls himself a jedi. love you luke. weird, weird guy.
anyways, a fun book about star wars and luke skywalker!
April 25, 2025
This is by far the weakest of the "biographies" that Windham wrote for the Legends canon. It starts out really well, but his decision to avoid rehashing the movies (potentially a good thing) was followed by his decision to devote entire chunks to the old Marvel comics (definitely NOT a good thing). I've only rated it this high because of the scenes where Luke is trying to find out more about his father on Tatooine. Oh, and that gem of a moment, courtesy of Han Solo right near the end.
August 10, 2022
Luke Skywalker will forever be 65% Padme's son and 35% Anakin's son sure he has his father's love of flying but like we see with Padme both would risk just about anything for someone they cared about and while Leia has their father's temper Luke again like their mother could always see good in Anakin even when others couldn't or pointedly refused to.
March 12, 2018
I have been a fan of Star Wars my whole life and this is the first Star Wars book I've ever read. It was so captivating, with all of the action that it was throwing at the reader. It is a very exciting book.
May 11, 2018
Life stories and adventures
It is awesome to read stories and be able to visualize how the writers expand on the lives of the characters in Star Wars. I was raised in that era and love all the expanded stories. Thanks alot for writing them
It is awesome to read stories and be able to visualize how the writers expand on the lives of the characters in Star Wars. I was raised in that era and love all the expanded stories. Thanks alot for writing them
April 15, 2020
I liked it when Luke discovered more about his father and tried to talk about him with Leia. The part I loved most was when Han told Luke that it's more important to know who he is than knowing who his father was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2021
I'm surprised this was a Scholastic published book, with so many women Luke met throwing themselves at him, lol. Super cheesy. There was some great ideas and scenes, but it all fell a little flat for me. I'm probably not the right audience.
August 16, 2022
A decent read that fills in the gaps and provides a perspective on luke skywalkers life before he embarks on an adventure joining the rebellions. The book is fairly well structured unlike most fan fiction and serves as a good prelude to the movie. It is must read for any Starwars fan.
June 3, 2024
It was good! I was hoping for more stuff between the movies, but the ending ended up being a return to one of my least favorite stories from the anthology. It felt cheap, like no resolution was made in the end. Disappointing ending, but overall a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2017
its legends, but its still good. confusing if you don't know star wars
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October 7, 2019very information about luke
April 12, 2020
I heard this weaved three previously known stories into a single entity. I found the whole thing unimaginative.
June 28, 2020
for star wars fans from 10 to 80
March 10, 2022
I read it in middle school and remembered loving it
March 14, 2024
I don't know why but this one just couldn't keep my attention.
December 24, 2024
The writing is good but the story is no more then some fan fiction.
June 6, 2025
3.5 Legal
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews